Guest commentary: Cradle-to-career education approach needed

Dec. 14, 2013

Written by

Dennis Rader

Partnership brings attention to goals

In February 2012, the 240 attendees at the two-day Brown County 20/20 Envisioning the Future conference generated goals for the community to achieve by the end of the decade. The visions are grouped around education, overcoming division, economic development, personal and community health and self-sufficiency. This year, a similar number of people are involved in task forces working to translate the goals into measurable actions. Press-Gazette Media will publish their summary reports through the end of 2013. A complete look at the ongoing effort is available at bayareacommunitycouncil.org.

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Of the visionary outcomes of the February 2012 Brown County 20/20 conference, one that was deemed more important by the attendees, was the need for a cradle-to-career approach to education, which engages school, community, business and parent involvement to maximize student graduation rates and career readiness.

It is significant to remember that the conference attendees reflected a wide diversity of life experiences and community involvement. Their recognition that the education of our children is the responsibility of every community member echoes the often quoted proverb that it takes the whole village to educate a child.

The Education Committee met over the past year hearing reports on currently operating educational-related efforts such as the extended learning programs through Community Skills Grants, the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA, the Live54218 community health initiative and the Community Partnership for Children program.

The broad reach of education-related projects already existing in the community were combined with presentations on educational partnerships and workplace immersion programs from representatives of the NEW Manufacturers Alliance. Among these monthly presentations the ones outlining a proposed transformative and comprehensive “Cradle to Career Action Plan” offered the most promising path for implementing the BC 20/20 vision on education.

Within months after the February 2012 conference, representatives of United Way, Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation began meeting to consider a workable cradle-to-career educational framework for Brown County. A framework called STRIVE was identified, and Brown County leaders traveled to communities where the framework was implemented. Over the summer of 2013 those leaders worked with STRIVE experts and developed a plan for Brown County.

At a Sept. 16 community summit approximately 150 local leaders received an outline of the proposed framework for a cradle-to-career system for Brown County. The county is already favorably recognized for a community-based education framework, but there was consensus that the many fine programs could achieve better results if they were better coordinated and focused on common goals and outcomes.

The community summit attendees agreed that the overall goal for a cradle-to-career system should be to create a coordinated, accountable and connected community that prepares all children and youth to become engaged, successful adults resulting in a vibrant and sustainable Brown County. Some inter-related outcomes over an age range from 0 to 26 were articulated.

Leaders from our education, business, nonprofits, early childhood, and philanthropy sectors of the community will be asked to work to bring about this coordination of efforts. An accountability structure will be created so that community investments in the system and progress measurements can be attained.

Summit attendees also discussed a need to dedicate staffing to support the aims of the Cradle-to-Career system. There will be lots of emphasis on the use of data to determine progress and improvements.

Given the broad swath of the Cradle-to-Career initiative in our community, it was evident that much of the vision of the BC 20/20 education committee would be best accomplished through that effort. Post age-26 career education efforts will be coordinated with the BACC Economic Development Committee.

One of the hopes of the 2012 BC 2020 conference was that groups and individuals will select areas in which they have expertise and work together to solve problems. The Cradle-to-Career educational initiative has done that.